they are really leg warmers.
About a year ago, I knit some ballet socks for my niece who is very petit (tiny, actually) who has a huge muscle at the back of her legs because of her years doing ballet.
I found this - a Berroco free pattern called Trois.
I had no intention of knitting it flat, which is what the pattern called for so I started to knit a sample piece in the round divising my own length, width and a bit extra for her large leg muscle.
I knit her up a pair of legwarmers that year and she loved them.
Well, now she is getting married and I decided that she might like a couple of pairs of these legwarmers and that I would make her hubby-to-be a pair of socks.
I just finished the first legwarmer and further changed the pattern.
For anyone who is interested... here is the pattern that I made up... keeping in mind that it is for someone who is very beautiful but quite petit... :)

COLLEEN'S BALLET SOCKS
by TEMA

dk yarn in two colours
needle size 4mm dpn's, 3.5 mm, dpn's

Cast on 40 sts. and knit 2X2 rib for 3 1/2" in the darker colour.
Do st. st., increasing 1 st at the beginning and end of every 8th round til legwarmer measures 9 1/2" (50 sts. otns)(17/16/17sts)
Then increase a st at the beginning and end of round 4 to accommodate her large leg muscle (X4)... (21/16/21 sts)
Then knit even 9 rounds (or more, depending on the size you need between the ankle and the knee).
Now, decrease at each end of the third round (3X) (52 sts in all)
Change yarn to do the cuff 2X2 rib for 3 1/2" (the darker colour) but at 3/4", change needles to 3.5mm for 4 rounds, then go back to the larger needles again til the rib is finished. (The 4 rounds help to bring in the ribbing and keep the sock up.)
Cast off... weave in ends.

I hope this is a good pattern. It's an easy one, for sure, and I'm thinking that you don't have to do all that shaping for the large leg muscle but can continue to do the increase at every 8 rounds... but I'd fiddle with it and decided for yourself.
TEMA:cool: :knitting:
p.s. I've never written up a pattern before so I expect there will be something I left out or didn't know to do... feel free to set me straight... :)

TEMA

01-18-2011, 01:08 AM

One of the pics shows me holding one legwarmer... that's the one I just finished. The one with the two legwarmers in it is a picture of the legwarmers I made for her last year...
At least you can see that they are more or less the same... just different colours...
TEMA;)